It’s science fiction, made real. The stem cell.
A complete, living, working cell, but also a biological tabla rasa. Bathe it in just the right chemical stew, and you can transform it into a heart cell, a brain cell, or any kind of cell you want. Baron Von Frankenstein, move over, we may be on the verge of replacement human organs, grown to order, and new therapies for diseases like Parkinsons, Diabetes and Alzheimers. But there are hurdles for stem cell researchers, and not all of them scientific, they’re also ethical, religious, and political. You see, the very best stem cells come from human embryos, which must be destroyed in the harvesting process.
Stem cells. Their incredible potential, and the choices we face in going from the hope of today to the realities of, someday.
(Hosted by David Ropeik)
Guests:
Dr. George Daley, stem cell biologist at the Whitehead Institute, and practicing hematologist at Massachusetts General Hospital
Dr. Micheline Roth, researcher at Harvard Medical School
Morton Kondracke, Columnist for Roll Call, board member on the Parkinson’s Action Network and the Michael J. Fox Foundation.